Speed-flying crash kills one near Wanaka

Sunday, 14 October 2018

A man is dead after a speed-flying crash in a remote area of Central Otago.

Emergency services were called to Isthmus Peak, near Wanaka, about 9am on Sunday.

A St John spokeswoman earlier said two helicopters responded and a patient was transported to Dunedin Hospital with critical injuries.

'He sadly passed away as a result of his injuries this afternoon,' police said in a statement.

Local sources described speed-flying as a form of paragliding, but with a smaller wing designed for flying closer to the ground. If it involves skis, it is known as speed-riding.

A paragliding safety officer from the Southern Club, an affiliate of the New Zealand Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (NZHGPA), said he understood the man had foot-launched.

'I believe he's a New Zealand man, he's not an overseas visiting pilot, which we do get a lot.'

The association would assist any Civil Aviation Authority investigation, the safety officer said. To fly a speed-wing legally requires a paragliding licence from the association.

Another man, extreme sport enthusiast Sean Kerridge, was killed in 2012 in a speed-flying crash after launching from the access road at Treble Cone, a skifield close to Wanaka.

A witness at the coronial inquest, held the following year, described speed-flying like this: 'The whole rationale of the sport is to whizz along close to the ground.'

The death will be referred to the coroner.